In a start-stop-start season, Will Power will start from the pole in the Rexall Edmonton Indy. The question is will he be able to stay the course with two teammates on his rear wing. "The guy that's going to win this race is the guy that's going to make the least amount of mistakes," said Scott Dixon, who won last year and will start on the outside of Row 2.
Power, competing in his fifth IndyCar Series race of the season, is aware of the challenging and physically demanding temporary circuit. "The starting position gives you an advantage, but you've really got to use it," Power said. "As you can see, in these races, anything can happen. I just hope to have a clean race. I'd love to win one before the next few races that I get to race in."
Power earned his second PEAK Performance Pole Award by posting the quickest lap in the Firestone Fast Six qualifying session -- 1 minute, 1.0133 seconds (116.414 mph) on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit in the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental car. It was the quickest lap of the weekend and came in the final minute of the 10-minute shootout that sets the first three rows on road/street courses.
He'll start next to Ryan Briscoe, last year's pole sitter who recorded his second front-row start in the past three street/road events (1:01.1232) in the No. 6 Team Penske car.
"I would have liked the pole, but the important thing is we're at the front and the car is very fast," said Briscoe, who had recorded the quickest lap of the weekend to advance to the Firestone Fast Six. "It's really handling well around this Edmonton track so it really makes us feel good going into the race.
"I've gone on to finish first when starting in second place before, so hopefully we can make that happen."
Team Penske's Helio Castroneves (1:01.2033) will join Dixon (1:01.2046), driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, on Row 2.
"For a moment, I quite forgot how fun it was to fight for the pole position, but let me tell you Team Penske is awesome," said Castroneves, who posted his best starting spot on a road/street course this season. "They did a hell of a job putting three cars in the top positions. That's what happens when you have three guys that step on the gas, you get excitement and it makes you push as hard as you can."
Graham Rahal (1:01.952), driving the No. 02 McDonald's car for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, and IndyCar Series points leader Dario Franchitti (1:01.8344) will share Row 3.
Power, who joined Penske Racing in January as a test driver and fill-in for the St. Petersburg season opener when Castroneves was unavailable because of his federal tax evasion trial, is in the middle of a three-race set in the No. 12 entry. He started second and finished third on the streets of Toronto's Exhibition Place two weeks ago - his first action since placing fifth in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24 - and finished sixth at St. Pete and second at Long Beach (where he started on the pole).
"I'm very happy to have 1-2-3 for our team," Power said. "It just shows what a good team I'm with. None of us have really had to make too many changes this weekend. The cars have been spot on." Last year, with a full-season ride with KV Racing Technology, Power started fifth at Edmonton but the car had a mechanical issue and he finished 22nd.
Franchitti, whose final lap in the second session bumped Raphael Matos from the Firestone Fast Six, is the only driver to participate in all the shootout sessions. Rahal then bumped Mario Moraes from participating in his second Firestone Fast Six. Justin Wilson, driving the No. 18 Z-Line Designs car for Dale Coyne Racing, missed advancing to the Firestone Fast Six for the first time in five road/street course events this season.
"Qualifying eighth was OK, but honestly I expected to make the top six so I'm a little disappointed," said Matos, who started a season-high third at Long Beach. "I had to lift on one of my quick laps because I caught up to traffic, but we'll have a good car for the race. It's a long race and a very physical day. The drivers have to be physically prepared and I feel good there."
Paul Tracy, driving the No. 15 Edmonton Honda Dealers/WoundedWarriors.ca car for KV Racing Technology, was the fastest of Group 1 in the first session (20 minutes all cars) and will start on Row 5 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing's Robert Doornbos. Last year, Tracy advanced 11 positions to finish fourth.
Alex Tagliani, driving the No. 34 Rexall Edmonton Indy/Conquest Racing car, will start 17th. "We're definitely not where we want to be on the grid," he said. "It's been tough these last couple of days but I am still confident heading into the race. We've always come back strong. We've had really good qualifying sessions in the last few street course races we've done and we've always encountered some bad luck during the race. I'm hoping that now that we are starting further back, that luck will turn around in the race and we can have a really good finish."
